To All,
Good Monday Morning July 22. I hope that you all had a great weekend. We have a nice day here so far and a small breath of wind and going to 85. Have a great week. Still going through things and making the piles and stacks smaller. Off to feed the chickens and run the dogs.
Warm Regards,
skip
HAGD
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This day in Naval and Marine Corps History (thanks to NHHC)
Here is a link to the NHHC website: https://www.history.navy.mil/. Go here to see the director's corner for all 83 H-Grams
This Day in Navy and Marine Corps History:
July 22
1802 During the First Barbary War, the frigate, USS Constellation, commanded by Capt. Alexander Murray, defeats nine Corsair gunboats off Tripoli, and sinks two.
1951 During the Korean War, USS Valley Forge (CV 45) carrier air strikes hit a fuel or an ammunition train near Kumchon, North Korea.
1951 Adm. Forrest P. Sherman, the 12th Chief of Naval Operations, dies while at Naples, Italy.
1964 Four Navy divers (Lt. Cmdr. Robert Thompson, Gunners Mate First Class Lester Anderson, Chief Quartermaster Robert A. Barth, and Chief Hospital Corpsman Sanders Manning) submerge in Sealab I at a depth of 192 feet, 39 miles off Hamilton, Bermuda for an intended three weeks. The crew surfaces early on July 31 due to an oncoming tropical storm.
1966 USS Julius A. Furer (DEG 6) is launched at Bath Iron Works, Maine. The Brook-class frigate is named in honor of Rear Adm. Julius A. Furer, a naval constructor, inventor, administrator, and author who completed the study Administration of the Navy Department in World War II.
1995 USS Ramage (DG 61) is commissioned at Boston, Mass. The 11th ship in the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers, the ship is named to honor Vice Adm. Lawson P. Ramage, a Medal of Honor recipient from World War II. Her homeport is Naval Station Norfolk.
2017 In a ceremony presided over by President Donald J. Trump, the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) is commissioned in a ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk attended by 10,000 people. CVN-78 honors the 38th president of the United States and pays tribute to his lifetime of service in the Navy, in the U.S. government and to the nation. It is the first new carrier design placed in service since USS Nimitz was commissioned more than 42 years earlier (May 3, 1975).
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This day in World History 22 July
1298 King Edward I defeats the Scots under William Wallace at Falkirk.
1515 Emperor Maximilian and Vladislav of Bohemia forge an alliance between the Hapsburg and Jagiello dynasties in Vienna.
1652 Prince Conde's rebels narrowly defeat Chief Minister Mazarin's loyalist forces at St. Martin, near Paris.
1789 Thomas Jefferson becomes the first head of the U.S. Department of Foreign Affairs.
1812 A British army under the Duke of Wellington defeats the French at Salamanca, Spain.
1814 Five Indian tribes in Ohio make peace with the United States and declare war on Britain.
1881 The first volume of The War of the Rebellion: A compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, is published.
1894 The first automobile race takes place between Paris and Rouen, France.
1934 American gangster John Dillinger is shot dead by FBI officers outside a Chicago cinema.
1938 The Third Reich issues special identity cards for Jewish Germans.
1943 Palermo, Sicily surrenders to General George S. Patton's Seventh Army.
1966 B-52 bombers hit the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Vietnam for the first time.
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OPERATION COMMANDO HUNT Thanks to the Bear
Skip… For The List for the week beginning Monday, 22 July 2024 and ending Sunday, 28 July 2024… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION COMMANDO HUNT (1968-1972)
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 21 July 1969… The week our astronauts walked on the Moon and Ted Kennedy drove off a bridge and left Mary Jo to drown.
OPERATION COMMANDO HUNT (1968-1972)
(Please note the eye-watering ongoing revamp of the RTR website by Webmaster/Author Dan Heller, who has inherited the site from originators RADM Bear Taylor, USN, Retired, and Angie Morse, "Mighty Thunder")…
To remind folks that these are from the Vietnam Air Losses site that Micro put together. You click on the url below and can read what happened each day to the aircraft and its crew. .Micro is the one also that goes into the archives and finds these inputs and sends them to me for incorporation in the List. It is a lot of work and our thanks goes out to him for his effort.
From Vietnam Air Losses site for "for 22 July This one was personal as Gordie was our OINC…..Skip
July 22: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=2958
Date: 22 July 1972Aircraft type: RF-8G CrusaderSerial Number: 146873Military Unit: Detachment 3, VFP-63Service: USNHome Base: USS MidwayName(s):Lt Cdr Gordon Curtis Paige (POW)
________________________________________
A Crusader (call sign Baby Giant 601) was dispatched from the Midway for a photographic reconnaissance mission along Route 116 south of Thanh Hoa. Lt Cdr Paige crossed the coast and started his descent to commence his photo run. As the aircraft was passing through 4,500 feet it was hit by ground fire. The starboard wing was hit first and started to stream fuel. Then as the aircraft started a turn to port, Lt Cdr Paige ejected as the aircraft caught fire. Moments after Lt Cdr Paige ejected the wing separated and the fuselage broke in half. Lt Cdr Paige was captured near Phong Bai, about 35 miles south of Thanh Hoa, and was imprisoned in Hanoi. He was released on 29 March 1973.
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Lt. Cdr. Paige clarified the circumstances of his ejection as follows: I fired the ejection seat myself as the aircraft exploded. (Fire around the outside of the tumbling cockpit). I had the report that the plane broke into three pieces so I assume that the main fuel cell exploded just prior to my ejection.
Vietnam Air Losses Access Chris Hobson and Dave Lovelady's work at: https://www.VietnamAirLosses.com.
This is a list of all Helicopter Pilots Who Died in the Vietnam War . Listed by last name and has other info https://www.vhpa.org/KIA/KIAINDEX.HTM
MOAA - Wall of Faces Now Includes Photos of All Service members Killed in the Vietnam War
(This site was sent by a friend . The site works, find anyone you knew in "search" feature. https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/ )
Wall of Faces Now Includes Photos of All Service members Killed in the Vietnam War
By: Kipp Hanley
AUGUST 15, 2022
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Thanks to Al and happy Birthday to Patty
Monday Morning Humor--Birthdays
My wife, Patty, has a birthday this week, so I dedicate these bits of humor to her,
Submitted by Mark Logan:
Things you learn if you live long enough…
• Being a little older, I am very fortunate to have someone call and check on me every day. He is from India, and he's very concerned about my car warranty.
• I choked on a carrot this morning, and all I could think of was, "I'll bet a doughnut wouldn't have done this to me."
• Nothing spoils a good story more than the arrival of an eye witness.
• I finally realize why I look so bad in pictures. It's my face.
• It only takes one slow-walking person in the grocery store to destroy the illusion that I'm a nice person.
• It turns out that when asked who your favorite child is, you're supposed to pick one of your own. I know that now.
• It's fine to eat a test grape in the produce section, but you take just one bite of rotisserie chicken and it's all, "Ma'am, you need to leave!"
• One thing no one ever talks about when it comes to being an older adult is how much time we devote to keeping a cardboard box because it is, you know, a really good box.
• If you dropped something when you were younger, you just picked it up. When you're older and you drop something, you stare at it for just a bit contemplating if you actually need it anymore.
• I like to make lists. I also like to leave them laying on the kitchen counter, and then guess what's on the list when I am at the store.
• My kids say they want a cat for Christmas. Normally I serve turkey but, hey, if it will make them happy.
• Ask your doctor if a drug with 32 pages of side-effects is bad for you.
• I re-labeled all of the jars in my wife's spice rack. I'm not in trouble yet, but the thyme is cumin.
• I love bacon. Sometimes I eat it twice a day. It takes my mind off the terrible chest pains I keep getting.
• I asked a supermarket employee where they kept the canned peaches. He said, "I'll see," and walked away. I asked another and he also said, "I'll see," and walked away. In the end, I gave up and found them myself in Aisle C.
• I put our scale in the bathroom corner and that's where the little liar will stay until it apologizes.
• When I was a kid, I used to watch the 'Wizard of Oz' and wonder how someone could talk if they didn't have a brain. Then I got Facebook.
• I just burned 1,200 calories. I forgot the pizza in the oven.
• Who knew that the hardest thing of being an adult is figuring out what to fix for dinner and doing it every single night for the rest of your life until you die?
• Instead of cleaning my house, I just watch an episode of "The Hoarders," and think, "Wow! My house looks good.
Submitted by Merle Horst:
• I hate it when I see an old person and then realize that we went to high school together.
• Someday, we old folks will use cursive writing as a secret code.
• Embarrassing our kids, that's just one of the services we offer!!
• As an older lady, I leave snacks in little bags on the floor all over the house in case I fall down.
• Age is merely the number of years the world has been enjoying you.
• When I was a kid, I wanted to be older. This $#!+ is not what I expected.
• Think old and you'll be old. Think young and you'll be a delusional old fart!
• If things get better with age then I must be getting close to freakin' magnificent.
• You know you're older when an "all nighter" means not getting up to use the bathroom.
• If you haven't grown up by age 50, you don't have to.
• I've reached that age where my brain goes from" You probably shouldn't say that," to "What the heck, let's see what happens."
• I remember being able to get up without making sound effects…good times.
• The idea is to die young…as late as possible.
Submitted by Jerry Gore:
To all the kids who survived the 1930s, 40s and 50s…
• First, we survived being born to mothers who may have smoked and/or drank…while they were pregnant.
• They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.
• Then, after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints.
• We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, locks on doors or cabinets, and, when we rode our bikes, we had baseball caps, not helmets, on our heads.
• As infants and children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, no booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and sometimes no brakes.
• Riding in the back of a pick- up truck on a warm day was always a special treat.
• We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle.
• We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle, and no one actually died from this.
• We ate cupcakes, white bread, real butter and bacon. We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar.
• And we weren't overweight. Why? Because we were always outside playing...that's why!
• We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.
• No one was able to reach us all day and, we were OKAY.
• We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride them down the hill, only to find out that we forgot about brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.
• We did not have Play Stations, Nintendo and X-boxes. There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVDs, no surround-sound or CDs, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet and no chat rooms. We had friends and we went outside and found them!
• We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and lost teeth, and there were no lawsuits from those accidents.
• We would get spankings with wooden spoons, switches, ping-pong paddles, or just a bare hand, And no one would call child services to report abuse.
• We ate worms, and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.
• We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, .22 rifles for our 12th, rode horses, made up games with sticks and tennis balls, and although we were told it would happen—we did not put out very many eyes.
• We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them.
• Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!
• The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of ... they actually sided with the law!
• These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers, and inventors ever.
• The past 60 to 85 years have seen an explosion of innovation and new ideas.
• We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all.
If you are one of those born between 1930 and1955, CONGRATULATIONS! You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good. While you are at it, forward this to your kids so they will know how brave and lucky their parents were.
Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?
Submitted by Ann Schlegel:
• Why don't I have any tattoos? For the same reason you don't put a bumper sticker on a Ferrarri.
• I'd rather look back at my life and say, "I can't believe I did that," instead of saying, "I wish I did that."
• One of the happiest moments ever is when you find the courage to let go of what you can't change.
• Wouldn't life be perfect if sweatpants were sexy, Mondays were fun, junk food didn't make you fat, guys weren't so confusing, girls didn't cause so much drama, and goodbyes only meant until tomorrow?
• If your cup is only half full, you probably need a different bra.
• I don't know what's longer: A microwave minute or a treadmill minute.
• I always carry a knife in my purse. You know in case of cheesecake or something.
• Never ask a woman who is eating ice cream straight from the carton how she's doing.
• Some days you eat salads and go to the gym. Some days you eat cupcakes and refuse to put on pants. It's called balance.
• I put some whiskey in my coffee because it's Ireland somewhere.
• Then there's that moment when you talk to yourself and you start to smiling like an idiot because you're just so hilarious.
• Some things are better left unsaid, which I generally realize right after I've said them.
• Accidentally went grocery shopping on an empty stomach and now I'm the proud owner of Aisle 4.
• I might wake up early and go running. I also might wake up and win the lottery. The odds are about the same.
• I hate when I gain 10 pounds for a role and then I'm not an actress.
Submitted by Dave Kaney:
Funny Aging Quotes (and some too true)
• "To get back to my youth I would do anything in the world, except exercise, get up early, or be respectable."--Oscar Wilde
• "The older we get, the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for."--Will Rogers
• "We must recognize that, as we grow older, we become like old cars – more and more repairs and replacements are necessary."--C.S. Lewis
• "Old age comes at a bad time."--San Banducci "
• "Inside every older person is a younger person wondering what happened."--Jennifer Yane
• "Old age is like a plane flying through a storm. Once you are aboard there is nothing you can do about it."--Golda Meir
• "I'm so old that my blood type is discontinued."--Bill Dane
• "The older I get, the more clearly I remember things that never happened.--Mark Twain
• "Wisdom doesn't necessarily come with age. Sometimes, age just shows up all by itself."--Tom Wilson
• "Always be nice to your children because they are the ones who will choose your retirement home."--Phyllis Diller
• "I don't plan to grow old gracefully. I plan to have face-lifts until my ears meet."--Rita Rudner
• "I'm at that age where my back goes out more than I do."--Phyllis Diller
• "Nice to be here? At my age it's nice to be anywhere."--George Burns
• "Don't let aging get you down. It's too hard to get back up."--John Wagner
• "First you forget names, then you forget faces, then you forget to pull your zipper up, then you forget to pull your zipper down."--Leo Rosenberg
• "Aging seems to be the only available way to live a long life."--Kitty O'Neill Collins
• "Old people shouldn't eat health foods. They need all the preservatives they can get."--Robert Orben
• "Middle age is when you're sitting at home on a Saturday night and the telephone rings and you hope it isn't for you."--Ogden Nash
• "It's important to have a twinkle in your wrinkle."--Unknown
• "At my age, flowers scare me."--George Burns
• "I have successfully completed the thirty-year transition from wanting to stay up late to just wanting to go to bed."--Unknown
• "Nobody expects to trust his body much after the age of fifty."--Alexander Hamilton
• "The years between 50 and 70 are the hardest. You are always being asked to do things, and yet you are not decrepit enough to turn them down."--T.S. Elliot
• "At fifty, everyone has the face he deserves."--George Orwell
• "At age 20, we worry about what others think of us… at age 40, we don't care what they think of us… at age 60, we discover they haven't been thinking of us at all."--Ann Landers
• "When I was young, I was called a rugged individualist. When I was in my fifties, I was considered eccentric. Here I am doing and saying the same things I did then, and I'm labeled senile."--George Burns
• "I complain that the years fly past, but then I look in a mirror and see that very few of them actually got past."--Robert Brault
• "The important thing to remember is that I'm probably going to forget."--Unknown
• "As you get older three things happen. The first is your memory goes, and I can't remember the other two."--Sir Norman Wisdom
• "It's paradoxical that the idea of living a long life appeals to everyone, but the idea of getting old doesn't appeal to anyone."--Andy Rooney
• "Birthdays are good for you. Statistics show that the people who have the most live the longest."--Larry Lorenzon
• "The older I get, the better I used to be."--Lee Trevino
• "You know you're getting old when you can pinch an inch on your forehead."--John Mendoza
• "I was thinking about how people seem to read the bible a lot more as they get older, and then it dawned on me—they're cramming for their final exam."--George Carlin
• "I don't feel old. I don't feel anything until noon. Then it's time for my nap."--Bob Hope
• "I'm 59 and people call me middle-aged. How many 118-year-old men do you know?"--Barry Cryer
• "All men are the same age."--Dorothy Parker
• "I don't do alcohol anymore—I get the same effect just standing up fast." – Anonymous
• "By the time you're 80 years old you've learned everything. You only have to remember it."--George Burns
• "Old age isn't so bad when you consider the alternative."--Maurice Chevalier
• "Getting older. I used to be able to run a 4-minute mile, bench press 380 pounds, and tell the truth."--Conan O'Brien
• "I have reached an age when, if someone tells me to wear socks, I don't have to."--Albert Einstein
• "Grandchildren don't make a man feel old, it's the knowledge that he's married to a grandmother that does."--J. Norman Collie
• "You know you are getting old when everything hurts, and what doesn't hurt doesn't work."--Hy Gardner
• "When your friends begin to flatter you on how young you look, it's a sure sign you're getting old."--Mark Twain
• "You know you are getting old when everything either dries up or leaks."--Joel Plaskett
• "There's one advantage to being 102, there's no peer pressure."--Dennis Wolfberg
• "I've never known a person who lives to be 110 who is remarkable for anything else." —Josh Billings
• "At my age 'getting lucky' means walking into a room and remembering what I came in for."--Unknown
• "Old age is when you resent the swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated because there are fewer articles to read."--George Burns
• "The idea is to die young as late as possible."--Ashley Montagu
• "You know you're getting old when you stoop to tie your shoelaces and wonder what else you could do while you're down there."--George Burns
• "People ask me what I'd most appreciate getting for my eighty-seventh birthday. I tell them, a paternity suit."--George Burns
Happy birthday dear, everyone else have a good week,
Al
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From the archives
(I know there are at least a dozen of you out there and One Best friend that has two recipients here that are in the M-B Ejection Tie Club!!—
http://www.martin-baker.com/clubs/ejection-tie-club The F-35 jump-jet will have automatic ejection--see below??)
Ejector seats fly off the shelves
A small, family-owned British firm has become the world's leading producer of ejection seats — saving 7,419 lives
By Karl West, London Sunday Times, July 21, 2013; Pg. 8
ONE sunny February afternoon off the coast of Florida, Linda Maloney was tearing through the sky on her way to launch an attack on the USS Forrestal, a 60,000-ton aircraft carrier.
It was a routine exercise for the US Navy pilot, a training run carried out with another senior officer.
But as her A-6 Intruder neared the Forrestal, everything started to go wrong. The aircraft began to spin uncontrollably.
Maloney reached down for the ejection seat handle and pulled.
She was rocketed up and out of the jet and seconds later was dangling below a parachute as it drifted down toward the sea.
That was in February 1991. Maloney went on to have a long and distinguished navy career before retiring in 2004. She has since married and has two sons.
She is one of 7,419 pilots who owe their lives to a small, family-owned company at the end of a lane in rural Buckinghamshire.
Martin-Baker has fought off challenges from the goliaths of the defence industry to become the world's leading producer of ejection seats.
This small manufacturer out in the sticks accounts for 48% of the global market. Goodrich, owned by United Technologies (UTC), the American giant, is a distant second with 18.6%.
Martin-Baker has been making ejection seats for fighter aircraft since 1949. This niche business helped it to pre-tax profits of £41.7m on sales of £178m in the year to March 31 last year.
Remarkably, the company is still owned by the Martin family, led by 70-year-old twins John and James, the sons of Sir James Martin, the co-founder and aviation engineer.
Last year the family shared £35m in dividends from the business.
This lucrative slice of an important niche market has made Martin-Baker the target of numerous private equity and trade suitors.
"Every month we have someone calling up offering to buy us. But we have no intention of [selling]," said James Martin, joint managing director and technical director.
Martin-Baker's cutting-edge technology and expertise have been built up over many decades.
The business was originally founded as an aircraft manufacturer in 1934. Sir James Martin and Captain Valentine Baker developed several aircraft models before and during the Second World War. However, Baker was killed in an accident during a test flight of the company's MB3 prototype in September 1942.
The engine seized and he was forced to make an emergency landing, but the stricken aircraft hit a tree stump.
Martin watched as his friend met his death. He was devastated, but his grief drove him to a new goal. He threw himself into designing escape systems for aircrew, eventually settling on the ejection seat.
The first live test ejection took place in July 1946 when Bernard Lynch, a fitter at Martin-Baker, volunteered to be shot out of a modified Gloster Meteor flying at 320mph at an altitude of 8,000ft. Lynch made a perfect landing.
"He was paid an extra 10 bob [50p in today's money] and bought a drink in the pub," said Andrew Martin, James's son.
The business has come a long way since those buccaneering days. Martin-Baker's seats, viewed as the industry gold standard, can be found in nearly all the world's leading fighter jets, including the Eurofighter Typhoon (partly built by BAE Systems), France's Dassault Rafale and Lockheed Martin's F-35 joint strike fighter, the world's biggest military programme. Flying with the top guns of the aerospace world brings its pressures. But the septuagenarian brothers are still heavily involved in the running of the business and they have no desire to relinquish control. "I think that's because we are doing something we enjoy," said James. "It helps if you are successful as well."
Old-fashioned principles form the bedrock of Martin-Baker's success. "We have never borrowed money," said James. "Banks always want to lend you money when you don't need it, and want it back when you do," added John.
Martin-Baker funds all new product development from its own cash. This is no mean feat for a small company — particularly when it costs about £60m to develop every new ejection seat.
It's a big investment, but once the initial outlay has been made the seats could be in service for 30 or 40 years. Each one has to be regularly serviced and the business makes money from fitting them with replacement parts.
This leaves it less reliant on new sales — profits are split 50-50 between sales and aftercare.
For now, the company is safe in the brothers' control. And there is a new generation of the Martin family coming through. Robert, son of John, is director of engineering, and Andrew is the director of business development.
And they too are fiercely committed to retaining Martin-Baker's independence.
"The business is of the right scale, where we can be involved in making all the key decisions," said Andrew. "We don't want to get much bigger. We like to focus on being profitable and being around forever, instead of doing a Marconi or some of the other spectacular crashes we've seen."
When the twins eventually decide to hang up their parachutes, they will hand over a business in rude health.
Martin-Baker has 650 employees and has delivered more than 80,000 ejection seats since it began production 64 years ago. There are currently 16,268 of its seats in service around the world.
The American forces are its biggest customer with 4,766. France is a long way behind in second spot, with 1,001. There is also burgeoning demand for its wares from forces in the Middle East and Far East.
The key statistic is that Martin-Baker's ejection seats have helped to save 7,419 pilots — including Maloney, who was the first of nine women to eject using its equipment.
The numbers mean that for every 10 seats Martin-Baker makes, one saves a life.
Some pilots ejected in the heat of battle, while others joined this exclusive club for more mundane reasons, such as bird strikes or technical failures. On average, each year there are 30 ejections involving a Martin-Baker seat.
"There is a lot of laborious work that goes on here. But the fact that something they [the staff] are working on will save someone's life — they take a lot of pride from that. We are in the life-saving business," said Andrew.
The company wears this badge with pride. The names of all those who have successfully ejected are displayed on a wall in the factory's reception area. A large digital scoreboard in the factory yard also keeps a tally of aircrew saved — 7,419 to date; 11 this year; two this month.
A tour of the factory at Denham, near Uxbridge, provides a glimpse into the work that goes into being the best at their small role in some multibillion-pound programmes.
Inside a computer simulation room, a designer has a 3D image of the seat's gun cartridge up on screen. The graphic allows the engineering team to examine every part of the design in detail even before a prototype of the component has been built.
"So much time, energy and cost can be saved by using these tools. We do as much simulation as a Formula One team," said Andrew. Britain has a lot riding on the success of the F-35. UK manufacturers will build 15% of each jet, generating significant export revenue and giving a boost to the economy. The programme is expected to create and support more than 24,000 jobs across the country.
Martin-Baker has 43 British companies, mainly small and medium sized businesses, helping to produce components for the F-35 seat. The parts are then shipped to the factory for final assembly.
All its seats must go through rigorous safety tests before they are certified. They are fired from a Gloster Meteor at its test facility in Northern Ireland.
The Meteor was the first British jet fighter to enter service. So it is a surprise to discover that the aircraft is still being used to certify the ejection seat destined for the RAF's newest acquisition, the F-35.
One of the improvements made for the F-35 seat is an airbag that inflates around the pilot's neck. It automatically deflates when the parachute is deployed.
Martin-Baker's boffins dreamt up the cushion because there is no normal instrument display in the F-35's cockpit — everything is displayed within a high-tech helmet. This has increased the weight of the pilots' headgear by about 30%.
The extra weight places more pressure on the neck than a conventional helmet when the pilot is propelled 300ft into the air. The nitrogen-filled neck brace is needed to hold the head in a safe position.
When Bernard Lynch was first shot out of the Gloster Meteor's cockpit back in 1946, the time between the eject handle being pulled and the parachute opening was 30 seconds. For the F-35, it takes just 1.5 seconds.
The jump-jet version of Lockheed Martin's fighter, which has been ordered by Britain, has automatic ejection — the onboard computer will decide whether to jettison the pilot to safety.
This would usually happen only if there is a problem with the lift fan, made by Rolls-Royce, during take-off and landing, when the aircraft is still close to the ground. Any problems this near to terra firma mean the average human reaction time of 1.5 seconds is not fast enough. These slim margins between life and death are where Martin-Baker proves its mettle. It keeps doing so time and again.
For this, 7,419 pilots and their families are for ever grateful to the company.
A framed letter on the factory wall from Captain Chris "Boris" Becker probably sums up their feelings: "Thank God it was there when I needed it."
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From the Archives
THE OLD NAVY
Written By a World War Two Sailor.
Come gather round me lads and I'll tell
you a thing or two,
About the way we ran the Navy
In nineteen forty two.
When wooden ships and iron men were
barely out of sight;
I am going to give you some facts just
to set the record right.
We wore the ole bell bottoms, with a flat
hat on our head;
And we always hit the sack at night but
we never "went to bed."
Our uniforms were worn ashore, and we
were mighty proud;
Never thought of wearing civvies, in
fact they were not allowed.
Now, when a ship puts out to sea, I'll
Tell you son, it hurts;
When suddenly you notice that half
the crew's wearing skirts.
And it's hard for me to imagine, a
Female boatswains mate;
Stopping on the Quarterdeck to make
sure her stockings are straight.
What happened to the KiYi brush, and
the old salt-water bath:
Holy stoning decks at night, cause you
stirred old Bosn's wrath!
We always had our gedunk stand and
lots of pogey bait;
And it always took a hitch or two,
just to make a rate.
In your seabag, all your skivvies, were
neatly stopped and rolled;
The blankets on your sack had better
have a three-inch fold.
Your little ditty bag it is hard to believe
just how much it held;
You wouldn't go ashore with pants that
hadn't been spiked and belled.
We had scullery maids and succotash
and good old S.O.S;.
And when you felt like topping off,
you headed for the mess.
Oh we had our belly robbers, but there
weren't too many gripes;
For the deck apes were never hungry and
there were no starving snipes.
Now, you never hear of Davey Jones,
Shellbacks or Polliwogs;
And you never splice the mainbrace to
receive your daily grog.
Now you never have to dog a watch
or stand the main event;
You even tie your lines today; back
in my time they were bent.
We were all two-fisted drinkers and
no one thought you sinned;
If you staggered back aboard your
ship, three sheets to the wind.
And with just a couple hours of sleep
you regained your usual luster;
Bright eyed and bushy tailed, you still
made morning muster.
Rocks and shoals have long since gone,
and now it's U.C.M.J;
Back then the old man handled everything
if you should go astray.
Now they steer the ships with dials,
and I wouldn't be surprised;
If some day they sailed the damned things
from the beach computerized.
So when my earthly hitch is over, and the
good Lord picks the best,
I'll walk right up to Him and say, "Sir, I
have but one request."
Let me sail the seas of Heaven in
a coat of Navy blue.
Like I did so long ago on earth, way
back in forty two."
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Thanks to Interesting Facts
You're taller in the morning.
Gravity is an essential force on Earth: It keeps the planet in orbit at a safe and comfortable distance from the sun, and even holds our atmosphere in place. It does have a downside, however: It weighs down the human body, making us a tiny bit shorter by the end of the day. From the moment we climb out of bed in the morning, gravitational forces push down on us, applying downward pressure on our joints, compressing our spines, and causing our organs to settle. All that strain adds up, enough to shrink a body by 1 centimeter. Gravity is at work whether we're sitting or standing, but at bedtime, our bodies get a slight reprieve as lying down redirects the force. Sleeping horizontally gives our spines and joints time to decompress and gain back the height lost during the day, making us once again slightly taller by morning.
Even though this ebb and flow is a normal process our bodies endure, over time humans tend to shrink in stature. The human body constantly breaks down and replenishes its bones to keep them healthy, though by age 35, that process tends to slow, with bones breaking down faster than they rebuild. The aging process also causes the cushions between our bones to retain less water and deteriorate, which makes the bones settle together. These processes slowly chip away a few millimeters of height at a time, which can eventually add up — on average, men tend to lose an inch of height between 30 and 70 years old, while women can lose up to 2 inches.
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Thanks to William
Why am I a pilot and not a doctor?
When young, I decided to go to Medical School.
At the entrance exam we were asked to arrange the letters "NPEIS" and form the name of an important body part which is most useful when erect.
Those who wrote "spine" are doctors today.
The rest of us went to flight school.
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This Day in U S Military History…….July 22
1587 – A second English colony of 114-150 people under John White, financed by Sir Walter Raleigh, was established on Roanoke Island off North Carolina. The colony included 17 women and 9 children. Croatoan Indians informed them that Roanoke Indians had killed the men from the previous expedition. A three-year draught, the worst in 800 years, peaked during this time.
1620 – The Pilgrims set out from Holland destined for the New World. The Speedwell sailed to England from the Netherlands with members of the English Separatist congregation that had been living in Leiden, Holland. Joining the larger Mayflower at Southampton, the two ships set sail together in August, but the Speedwell soon proved unseaworthy and was abandoned at Plymouth, England. The entire company then crowded aboard the Mayflower, setting sail for North America on September 16, 1620.
1905 – Body of John Paul Jones moved to Annapolis, MD for reburial.
1953 – Major John H. Glenn, future astronaut and U.S. senator, claimed his third MiG kill in the last aerial victory of the Korean War by a Marine pilot.
1953 – First Lieutenant Sam P. Young, 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing, was credited with the final MiG kill of the Korean War.
2003 – The two sons of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, Qusay Saddam Husayn (the Ace of Clubs in the deck of 52 playing cards featuring Iraq's "most wanted") and Uday Saddam Husayn (the Ace of Hearts) are trapped in a house and killed in a fire-fight with American troops from the 101st Airborne Division. Supporting this action were two OH-58 Kiowa helicopters from Company D, 1st Battalion, 159th Aviation from the Mississippi Army Guard which flew top cover to be sure no one escaped from the building. After an initial ground assault against the building resulted in three American soldiers being wounded, the 101st called for air support. So the two Guard copters worked the house over with 2.75-inch rockets, Mark 19 grenades, AT-4 rockets and .50 caliber machine gun fire. Still fire came back from the defenders until finally the infantry killed everyone inside with 10 TOW missiles. Sheik Nawaf al-Zaydan Muhhamad informed US troops of their presence in his home and became $30 million richer.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
FORCE, MANNING F.
Rank and organization: Brigadier General, U.S. Volunteers. Place and date: At Atlanta, Ga., 22 July 1864. Entered service at: Cincinnati, Ohio. Born: Washington, D.C. 17 December 1824. Date of issue: 31 March 1892. Citation: Charged upon the enemy's works, and after their capture defended his position against assaults of the enemy until he was severely wounded.
HANEY, MILTON L.
Rank and organization: Chaplain, 55th Illinois Infantry. Place and date: At Atlanta, Ga., 22 July 1864. Entered service at: Bushnell, Ill. Birth: Ohio. Date of issue: 3 November 1896. Citation: Voluntarily carried a musket in the ranks of his regiment and rendered heroic service in retaking the Federal works which had been captured by the enemy.
SANCRAINTE, CHARLES F.
Rank and organization: Private, Company B, 15th Michigan Infantry. Place and date: At Atlanta, Ga., 22 July 1864. Entered service at: Monroe, Mich. Born: 1840, Monroe, Mich. Date of issue: 25 July 1892. Citation: Voluntarily scaled the enemy's breastworks and signaled to his commanding officer in charge; also in single combat captured the colors of the 5th Texas Regiment (C.S.A.).
SPRAGUE, JOHN W.
Rank and organization: Colonel, 63d Ohio Infantry. Place and date: At Decatur, Ga., 22 July 1862. Entered service at: Sandusky, Ohio Born: 4 April 1817, White Creek, N.Y. Date of issue: 18 January 1894. Citation: With a small command defeated an overwhelming force of the enemy and saved the trains of the corps.
*LOBAUGH, DONALD R.
Rank and organization: Private, U .S. Army, 127th Infantry, 32d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Afua, New Guinea, 22 July 1944. Entered service at: Freeport, Pa. Birth: Freeport, Pa. G.O. No.: 31, 17 April 1945. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty near Afua, New Guinea, on 22 July 1944. While Pvt. Lobaugh's company was withdrawing from its position on 21 July, the enemy attacked and cut off approximately 1 platoon of our troops. The platoon immediately occupied, organized, and defended a position, which it held throughout the night. Early on 22 July, an attempt was made to effect its withdrawal, but during the preparation therefor, the enemy emplaced a machinegun, protected by the fire of rifles and automatic weapons, which blocked the only route over which the platoon could move. Knowing that it was the key to the enemy position, Pfc. Lobaugh volunteered to attempt to destroy this weapon, even though in order to reach it he would be forced to work his way about 30 yards over ground devoid of cover. When part way across this open space he threw a hand grenade, but exposed himself in the act and was wounded. Heedless of his wound, he boldly rushed the emplacement, firing as he advanced. The enemy concentrated their fire on him, and he was struck repeatedly, but he continued his attack and killed 2 more before he was himself slain. Pfc. Lobaugh's heroic actions inspired his comrades to press the attack, and to drive the enemy from the position with heavy losses. His fighting determination and intrepidity in battle exemplify the highest traditions of the U.S. Armed Forces.
*MASON, LEONARD FOSTER
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps. Born: 2 February 1920, Middleborough, Ky. Accredited to: Ohio. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as an automatic rifleman serving with the 2d Battalion, 3d Marines, 3d Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces on the Asan-Adelup Beachhead, Guam, Marianas Islands on 22 July 1944. Suddenly taken under fire by 2 enemy machineguns not more than 15 yards away while clearing out hostile positions holding up the advance of his platoon through a narrow gully, Pfc. Mason, alone and entirely on his own initiative, climbed out of the gully and moved parallel to it toward the rear of the enemy position. Although fired upon immediately by hostile riflemen from a higher position and wounded repeatedly in the arm and shoulder, Pfc. Mason grimly pressed forward and had just reached his objective when hit again by a burst of enemy machinegun fire, causing a critical wound to which he later succumbed. With valiant disregard for his own peril, he persevered, clearing out the hostile position, killing 5 Japanese, wounding another and then rejoining his platoon to report the results of his action before consenting to be evacuated. His exceptionally heroic act in the face of almost certain death enabled his platoon to accomplish its mission and reflects the highest credit upon Pfc. Mason and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
SKAGGS, LUTHER, JR.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, 3d Battalion, 3d Marines, 3d Marine Division. Place and date: Asan-Adelup beachhead, Guam, Marianas Islands, 21 -22 July 1944. Entered service at: Kentucky. Born: 3 March 1923, Henderson, Ky. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as squad leader with a mortar section of a rifle company in the 3d Battalion, 3d Marines, 3d Marine Division, during action against enemy Japanese forces on the Asan-Adelup beachhead, Guam, Marianas Islands, 21 -22 July 1944. When the section leader became a casualty under a heavy mortar barrage shortly after landing, Pfc. Skaggs promptly assumed command and led the section through intense fire for a distance of 200 yards to a position from which to deliver effective coverage of the assault on a strategic cliff. Valiantly defending this vital position against strong enemy counterattacks during the night, Pfc. Skaggs was critically wounded when a Japanese grenade lodged in his foxhole and exploded, shattering the lower part of one leg. Quick to act, he applied an improvised tourniquet and, while propped up in his foxhole, gallantly returned the enemy's fire with his rifle and handgrenades for a period of 8 hours, later crawling unassisted to the rear to continue the fight until the Japanese had been annihilated. Uncomplaining and calm throughout this critical period, Pfc. Skaggs served as a heroic example of courage and fortitude to other wounded men and, by his courageous leadership and inspiring devotion to duty, upheld the high traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for July 22, FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
22 July
1929: First airmail delivery by sea from Europe completed as the German vessel S. S. Bremen catapulted a plane from its deck while 250 miles off the US coast. This cut about 24 hours off delivery time.
1935: Capt Albert F. Hegenberger won the Collier Trophy for 1934 for developing and demonstrating a successful blind landing system. (24)
1944: Fifteenth Air Force made the first all-fighter unit shuttle raid in Europe from Italy with 76 P-38 Lightnings and 58 P-51 Mustangs. They hit German air bases in Rumania at Buzau and Zilistea, near Ploesti, and landed at Russian bases. (4) (24)
1948: ROUND-THE-WORLD FLIGHT. Through 6 August, three B-29s from the 43 BG at DavisMonthan AFB flew around the world. Lt Col R. W. Kline's "Gas Gobbler" and 1Lt A. M. Neal's "Lucky Lady," completed the 15-day, 20,000-mile flight in 103 hours 50 minutes. The third aircraft crashed into the Arabian Sea. (1) (9)
1950: KOREAN WAR. The USN aircraft carrier, the USS Boxer, arrived in Japan with 145 USAF F-51s on board. The 3 ARSq deployed the first H-5 helicopter in Korea to Taegu. (28)
1960: NASA launched its Iris sounding rocket for the first time. The rocket lifted a 100-pound package from Cape Canaveral to an altitude of 140 miles. (24)
1962: Mariner I, the first US attempt to send a space probe to Venus, failed when the Atlas-Agena B began to veer off course and was intentionally destroyed.
1971: The SRAM completed its flight test program successfully. The program included 38 test flights over the White Sands Missile Test Range. (12) (16)
1987: Operation ERNEST WILL. Through 21 December, SAC provided KC-10s and KC-135s support to Navy fighters during this operation over the Persian Gulf. The aircraft protected Kuwaiti convoys from Iranian attack during the war between Iran and Iraq. Additionally, USAF E-3 AWACS joined C-5s and C-141s in supporting this operation. (16) (21)
1991: A 445 MAW C-141 delivered nearly 20 tons of medical supplies to Ulan Bator, Mongolia to overcome a critical shortage. This mission was the first USAF flight to Mongolia. (16) (26)
2005: Five F-16 Fighting Falcons from Eglin AFB, Fla., arrived at Edwards AFB to join two AFFTC F-16s in testing the M4.2+ core avionics suite upgrade. The upgrade equipped the F-16 for the suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD) missions as well as the air-to-surface attack role. (3)
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